A Problem Well Stated is a Problem Half Solved
Published · Aptil 03, 2026
"A problem well stated is a problem half solved." — Charles Kettering
More often than not, issues in software do not arise because the code is wrong. They come from incomplete thinking behind the code. When the problem is understood clearly, the solution almost always becomes simpler.
We Start With the How
In most projects, the first discussions are about how to build something - tools, architecture, timelines, design and so on. Very quickly, the team starts writing code even though the problem is not fully understood.
This creates a gap between what is built and what was actually needed. And that gap is rarely visible until it is too late.
Requirements Are Not the Same as Understanding
Most requirements describe features. They say what the system should do, but not how it will be used in real life. Who will use it, how their needs might evolve, what edge cases will emerge when it goes live - these questions get less attention than they deserve.
The code may be correct, but the system still feels wrong because the thinking behind it was incomplete. This is one of the most common and most expensive problems in software development, and it rarely shows up in a bug report.
Good Engineering Starts Before Coding
Good engineering begins with simple questions.
- What is the real problem?
- Why does this need to exist?
- How will this actually be used when it is live?
When these questions are answered clearly, the design becomes simpler, the code becomes easier to write, and the system becomes easier to maintain and change later as needed. Most of what makes software hard to maintain is not complexity in the code, but the gaps in the understanding that the code was built on.
The "how" matters. But the "what" and the "why" matter more.